St George Illawarra Dragons 2007 Season in Review
Written by:
Steven Williams
November 2nd 2007 01:29 PM
2007 is arguably the worst season ever for the St George Illawarra Dragons.
In finishing 13th, and on 20 competition points, the Dragons narrowly managed to avoid the wooden spoon. The last-placed Panthers ended up on 18 points but did so with a differential of -68. The Dragons, struggling with a differential of -78, were just one loss away from adding the spoon to an already woeful season.
There have been worse seasons for the joint venture partners. Since their formation in 1982, Illawarra have at times struggled at the lower end of the ladder, the Steelers finishing with the wooden spoon three times. The St George club too has seen darker days, some 70 seasons ago. Indeed, the last time a St George team saw the wooden spoon was in 1938, finishing last in an eight team competition. It still remains, however, that since the club's formation in 1921, no first grade rugby league team bearing the Dragon emblem has ever finished 13th on the competition ladder.
The Dragons season of 2007 was consistently poor. The team only managed two consecutive wins on one occasion, in rounds 16-17. After defeating eventual grand finalists the Sea Eagles 26-22 and backing up to thrash the Raiders 58-16 one week later, the Dragons gave fans slim hope that the annual charge towards the semis was still on the cards. But in round 18, Saints came crashing back to earth after suffering a 44-16 defeat at hands of the Warriors. For all intents and purposes, the Dragons of 2007 were a write-off and from that moment on, the question was one of survival.
So what are the root causes for this dismal season?
Dragons officials will point to an inexperienced squad being hit hard by injuries. It is true that Saints have had another season of players being repeatedly sidelined. When Mark Gasnier suffered a pectoral injury in the pre-season Charity Shield clash, it set the pattern for a horrendous run of injuries in the opening rounds of competition.
In 2007, Saints used no less than 32 first graders, including 11 first grade debutants. To put this in perspective, you have to go back to 1995 to find the last time a Dragons side used more than 30 first grade players in a season. The most players a Dragons team has ever used in one season were 35 (1971, 1982 and 1983). The Dragons club of 2007 busted through the 30 player barrier after just 12 rounds of competition.
Nevertheless, the casualty ward only tells part of the story. In the latter part of the season, with players coming back from injury, the Dragons still couldnt win the games that mattered.
Is the coach to blame?
The coach is applauded during the good times, so it stands to reason that he must shoulder some of the blame during the lean times. Many fans were calling for the head of Coach Nathan Brown in 2007, club CEO Peter Doust responded by giving Brownie his full support. For the time being at least, Browns 2008 contract as head coach of the Dragons will remain intact.
Nevertheless, the Dragons struggled for form throughout the season. Lack of discipline (the Dragons conceded 176 penalties) as well as poor options in both attack and defence severely hampered the team's chances in 2007.
Stats at a glance - 2007
Wins: 9
Losses: 15
Position: 13th
First Grade Players: 32 (14 with previous NRL experience with Dragons, plus 18 on debut for Dragons including 11 NRL debutants)
Run Wins/Losses: W L L L L B L W L W L W L L L W W L W L W L L W L
Best Winning Streak: 2 - rounds 16-17
Worst Losing Streak: 5 - rounds 2-7 (bye round 6)
Home Wins/Losses: 6/6
Away Wins/Losses: 3/9
2008 and beyond
HOME GROUND ISSUES
2008 could be a tough year for the joint venture club. With news that the development of Kogarahs Oki Jubilee Stadium has been postponed, the Dragons will be playing much of their season at the vacuous Telstra Stadium in Homebush.
On previous occasions when the Dragons moved away from Kogarah, history has not been kind to their on-field fortunes.
While the club will point to funding issues as the cause of this shift, others have been far less accommodating. Local businesses, councillors and fans have all been critics of the move. In particular, support group R2K has stated that the redevelopment of OKI Jubilee Stadium could be delayed until July next year so that five NRL matches could be staged at Kogarah for 2008, the Centenary season of rugby league in Australia.
To the casual observer, it seems like an opportunity lost. The Club, however, views the financial kickback from Telstra as a positive outcome in the decision to move to Homebush.
PLAYER ISSUES
Player retention is also an ongoing concern for the Dragons. While the injury woes of 2007 gave opportunities to future stars such as Chase Stanley, Dan Hunt, Rangi Chase and Jason Nightingale, there has also been a steady stream of players leaving over the last two seasons with more former Saints set to wear another clubs jersey in 2008. Moreover, the clubs decision to ditch the Jersey Flegg competition one year early (in 2006) in readiness for the National Under 20s Competition of 2008 (Toyota Cup) appears to have left holes in the lower ranks. In addition, the Dragons will not be fielding a Premier League side in 2008, thereby relying heavily on the less competitive Jim Beam Cup while placing a truckload of faith in the upcoming Toyota Cup competition.
While the Dragons have done well to retain a number of players, they also have numerous players with first grade experience departing. Add to this a new untested competition happening in the lower tiers, coupled with a policy of developing south coast juniors, and it does begin to look like a game of chance taking place. For the foreseeable future, the Dragons are locked into a roulette-style policy of repeatedly blooding rookies.
Will the gamble pay off?
Dont get me wrong, we will no doubt see more future stars run out in the red V in the season ahead, and this is essential for further junior development.
By default, however, the Illawarra provides a backyard of talent for clubs throughout the NRL landscape, and these same clubs will be fielding teams against the Dragons.
ACCEPTANCE OF MEDIOCRITY?
Despite the spin of good intentions, the Dragons will not find on-field success in 2008. The Club will deny this apparent acceptance of mediocrity as they point to previous years of top four finishes, but many supporters are not so easily convinced.
The bottom line is that the immediate future of the Dragons is a grim one.
Club officials have just two seasons to conjure up a NRL grand final team, or become the first Dragons administration in history to go through a decade without a first grade team appearing in a premiership decider.
THE GOOD NEWS
Best player Ben Creagh
Backrower Ben Creagh is the only player to have played all 24 games for the Dragons this year and is easily the club's most consistent performer. Starting as a winger in 2003, Creagh quickly progressed into the centres before finding his place in the second row and lock forward positions. At only 22-years-old, Creagh has made 90 appearances for the Dragons and is perhaps the youngest 'veteran' in this years injury-ravaged squad.
Creagh topped the stats in many of the games main areas, making 643 tackles (150 more than any other team member), 331 hit-ups with 51 tackle breaks and 10 offloads.
Creaghs efforts were recognised by the Club and supporters, the Wollongong junior winning the prestigious St George Bank Medal for Player of the Year as well as the supporters Red V Members Player of the Year Award.
Already an Australian rep, Creagh will no doubt feature in future representative fixtures.
Best wins
1. Round 12 (1st June 2007) v Broncos (Kogarah Jubilee)
With a team largely made up of reserve graders, an enthusiastic Dragons outfit were able to roll a full strength Brisbane Broncos by 11-4 at Kogarah Jubilee Oval. Jamie Soward, who only signed up with Saints during the week, put together a near perfect kicking display as the young Dragons forwards were able dominate the experienced Brisbane pack. The win was all the more impressive given that the Broncos were in red hot form following their 71-6 shellacking of the Newcastle Knights the week before. Other match standouts for the Dragons included prop Jason Ryles and full back Josh Morris.
The victory continues a winning streak and a dominance that Saints have held over the Broncos since 2005.
2. Round 17 (8th July 2007) v Raiders (WIN Stadium)
Played in windy conditions, the Dragons thrashed the Canberra Raiders 58-16 in Wollongong. The biggest winning margin of the year for Saints.
Trailing by 22-10, the Raiders had the wind at their backs in the second half and the match was still up for grabs.
The Raiders had the momentum for the opening minutes of the second half, but the Dragons scored next when outside back Josh Morris ran 80 metres to score under the posts, thereby setting the theme for the remainder of the match.
In all, St George Illawarra ran in 10 tries to three and ultimately dominated all aspects of the encounter. Top scorer for the match was goal kicker and halfback Jamie Soward who posted a personal tally of 22 points.
Best rookies
With so many players being blooded in 2007, its hard to single out a standout rookie.
17-year-old Chase Stanley definitely deserves a mention. After scoring on debut (round 2) Stanley found his way the line with six tries in 2007. Playing at centre and on the wing, Stanley has the hallmarks of a future back rower, his mobility and pace is matched by his ability to hit the line hard. A future international, Stanley came to the notice of Kiwi selectors and was named in the New Zealand train-on squad for 2007 Test series.
A high schools student in 2007, Stanley is definitely one to watch in 2008.
The twin brother of Brett Morris, and son of Steve 'Slippery' Morris, Josh Morris debuted in round one and had an immediate impact in the outside backs. His blistering pace proved too good for the Storm's Billy Slater in round five and in round 12, Morris had no trouble in standing up Broncos and Queensland full back Karmichael Hunt. Josh fell off the pace late in 2007 but should have a standout year in 2008.
Other rookies who deserve mention are five eighth Rangi Chase, winger Jason Nightingale, hooker Ben Elllis, and forwards Lagi Setu and Dan Hunt.
Best signing Jamie Soward
The Dragons have a policy of developing juniors, and therefore have only few new signings to choose from.
Discarded by the Roosters, Jamie Soward made an impact in round 12 when Saints outclassed the Broncos. Soward proved his worth in 2007 and should have done enough to cement a halfback spot in 2008.
PREDICTION FOR 2008
With no Kogarah and too many away games scheduled, the Dragons will struggle to improve on this years efforts.
But if injuries are kept in check, and the rookies of 2007 step up to the crease, the Dragons just may be able to jag a top eight spot.
How high the Club is willing to aim is another matter entirely. If a top eight spot is seen as a measure of success, then the Dragons of 2008 will once again find themselves languishing at the bottom of the ladder, and on the outside looking in.
